Measuring dimensions of a manufactured object is necessary to verify whether the manufactured object conforms to design specifications. A coordinate measuring machine, commonly abbreviated as CMM, takes 3-dimensional measurements of an object. Typically, the machine uses a touch or scanning type probe that moves in a 3-dimensional space. The 3-dimensional coordinates of the object are measured by encoding the movement of the probe as the probe touches or scans the object.
Scanning probes acquire coordinate data, or measurements, of an object at varying scanning speeds. The accuracy of the measurements is generally higher at lower scanning speeds. Decreasing the scanning speed, however, reduces the number of objects that the CMM can inspect in a give time. The problem is compounded when the object has multiple features or elements that need to be accurately inspected.